Other Words from equivalent

equivalentnoun

equivalentlyadverb

Choose the Right Synonym for equivalent

same, selfsame, very, identical, equivalent, equal mean not different or not differing from one another. same may imply and selfsame always implies that the things under consideration are one thing and not two or more things.
took the same route
derived from the selfsame source very, like selfsame, may imply identity, or, like same may imply likeness in kind.
the very point I was trying to make identical may imply selfsameness or suggest absolute agreement in all details.
identical results equivalent implies amounting to the same thing in worth or significance.
two houses equivalent in market value equal implies being identical in value, magnitude, or some specified quality.
equal shares in the business

Did You Know?

Modern democracies have institutions and offices that are roughly equivalent to those found in others: the president of the United States has his British equivalent in the prime minister, for instance, and the U.S. Congress finds its equivalent in the British Parliament. The heavily armored knight on his great armored horse has been called the Middle Ages' equivalent of the army tank. In none of these examples are the two things identical to each other; they're simply very similar in their effect or purpose or nature, which is what equivalence usually implies.

Examples of equivalent in a Sentence

Those less-known companies manufacture equivalent products at cheaper prices.
I haven't taken English 202, but I took an equivalent course at another university.
an equivalent amount of money

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'equivalent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of equivalent

History and Etymology for equivalent

Middle English, from Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French, from Late Latin aequivalent-, aequivalens, present participle of aequivalēre to have equal power, from Latin aequi- + valēre to be strong — more at wield

1a: the relative weight of an element that has the same combining capacity as a given weight of another element : the atomic weight divided by the valence

b: the relative weight of a radical or compound that combines with a given weight of an element, radical, or compoundespecially: the weight of a compound that reacts with one equivalent of a given chemical element

2: a psychopathological symptom replacing the usual one in a given disorder
a twilight state may be an epileptic equivalent